Every Fred Gitelman article in Canadian Master Point Magazine is a free download

Just in time for BBO’s big tenth anniversary (congratulations!) we wanted to take a moment to recall that a trove of BBO founder Fred Gitelman’s articles for Canadian Master Point Magazine are available as free downloads from www.eBooksBridge.com.

Turning back the clock to a time before BBO took shape — and before Fred launched his world-class bridge career — these articles give a fascinating window into his development as a player and a bridge innovator.

In light of the tremendous impact BBO has had, on especially interesting read is his 1992 article “Computers and Bridge,” which offers an intriguingly candid look at the strengths and weaknesses of bridge-playing programs, and the unique ways in which humans and computers can contribute to the game.

For the technically minded, Fred’s three-part series on Improved 2/1 Bidding is now available in its complete form for the first time in 17 years! As BBO users familiar with the site’s bridge “robot” know, 2/1 is the bidding system it is programmed to use, making Gitelman’s 2/1 series especially eye-catching. Parts 1 and 3 have long been available for download as part of their original issues of CMP magazine, but the middle installment had vanished into obscurity — until today, when we rediscovered Part 2 and published it in its entirety.

And then of course there are Fred’s many observations of competitions around the world, with recaps like the star-studded Politiken World Pairs inaugural tournament, where he shared the field with the likes of Omar Sharif and Sabine Auken.

Here’s the full list:

Computers and Bridge. January, 1992.

CNTC 94. September, 1994.

Deja vu again… and again. July, 1995.

Hands from here and there. October, 1995.

Wonderful Copenhagen. January, 1996.

A suitable study. April, 1996.

Canadians at the Cavendish. July, 1996.

Miami highlights. October, 1996.

Better 2/1 Auctions: Three-Part Series 

Improving 2/1 auctions (Part 1). November, 1993.

Improving 2/1 Auctions (Part 2). January, 1994. — New online!

Better 2/1 auctions (Part 3). June, 1994.